


What is blood?

by Slayerwithredhair



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alcoholism, Angst, Character Death, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, IronDad and SpiderSon, Irondad, It's not all bad, Peter and Tony reunion, References to Depression, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, lil fluff at the end, oh god the angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-06-25
Packaged: 2019-05-28 10:18:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15046730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Slayerwithredhair/pseuds/Slayerwithredhair
Summary: I've seen so many beautiful, wonderful fics and other fanworks of irondad after Peter comes back and they're all about how Tony saved Pete and the world and - let's be honest, we know that that is going to happen- BUT I gots athinkin, what if Tony didn't save him. What if Tony failed?ORThe one where Tony didn't save Peter, now Peter has to save him.





	What is blood?

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings:
> 
> Possible triggers in this are mentions of character death and depictions of depression.  
> If you want to know who the character deaths are check the notes at the bottom.

Peter stepped lightly over the threshold into the dark, dank room. It smelled heavily of sweat and alcohol, and a chorus of different chattering voices speaking words of a language he didn't know surrounded him. To his heightened senses it wasn't nice at all and he winced as he took another step into the room. He surveyed the scene before him and his eyes landed on who he was looking for. 

 

Tony Stark sat in the corner of the bar, at a small table, with his back to the world, nursing a small glass of amber-coloured liquid. Peter watched him for a second before making his way across the bar. 

 

Tony didn't look up when he reached the table, he didn't even seem to notice that someone was there, that or he didn’t care. 

 

"M-Mr. Stark?" 

 

The man stilled. His drink came down on the table heavily and he sucked in a breath before he turned sharply to look at Peter. 

 

Tony looked older, his hair had more grey, and there were lines on his face that Peter didn’t remember from last time. But his eyes were the same, heavier, perhaps, as if carrying the weight of the world behind them, but they were the same. 

 

As if in a trance, Tony stood up slowly and stared at the kid, a hand reached out to his face but it stopped, millimetres from Peter's cheek and fell to his side again. "You're alive?" He murmured, so quiet Peter wasn’t even sure he had heard. 

 

Peter frowned but he couldn’t wait any longer, he launched himself into Tony's arms and buried his face in the man's shoulder as the tears came. He was home, finally. He was back. 

 

When Shuri and Bruce had reversed the work of the infinity stones, Tony and May had been the only people Peter had cared about seeing, the rush and excitement of being alive and safe didn’t even touch him, what had happened to Aunt May? Was she okay? Where was Mr. Stark? It was only after the tearful reunion with his aunt that Peter had learned that Tony was MIA. After the war, the hero had retreated into himself where no one could reach him, so Cap had said, and it was this news of the weakening Iron Man that had led to the attack on the tower. Steve had told him that it was Obadiah Stane's people, but did it really matter? No amount of blame would bring the dead back to life. 

 

All too soon, Tony pushed him back and dropped his eyes, focusing on anything but Peter. He slapped his shoulder roughly, "It's good to have you back, kid." Then he returned to his seat and picked up his glass, swirling the contents around once before taking a long drink. When Peter didn't move, he sighed and put the glass down. "You should probably go now." 

 

"Go?" Peter frowned, "Go where?" 

 

"Back home, back to May, to Ned, to- what are you even doing here?" He didn’t look up. 

 

"Looking for you." 

 

A snort. "Well you found me." 

 

"And clearly, you're a million miles away, drinking, alone in a bar in the middle of nowhere because you're so fine." 

 

"You don't know-" 

 

"I do. I know about Pepper and Happy. I'm sorry." It had grieved him more than he had thought possible to learn about their deaths, but the only thing stronger than his grief for them was his fear of what their loss would do to Tony. 

 

Tony snorted again. "You know about Rhodey too?" Peter shook his head. "Well. That one was on me, kid. Even more than the others. We had a fight, I blasted him, knocked the part of his spine Vision already managed to fuck up and he fell." Peter stared at him. "I killed him, kid." Nothing, no reaction. Tony sighed angrily. "I killed him so you better-" 

 

Peter took the seat opposite Tony and looked at him sadly. "No." 

 

Tony shook his head. "No? No wh- Parker, I'm not an Avenger anymore, okay? I'm the guy the Avengers hunt down." 

 

Peter frowned. "You think that matters?" 

 

Tony glared. "It damn well should do." He snapped. "Go home." 

 

"No." 

 

"Why? Why are you even here?" 

 

"You're still my-" He stopped before a choke could escape and started again. "You're still Tony. Mr. Stark, you're my family." 

 

A harsh noise escaped past Tony's lips. "It's not real though kid." He refused to meet Peter's eyes. "All that mentoring, looking after you, training you. It was all Avengers crap. I'm not your dad, kid. I never will be, so treat it like it was, empty and bloodless." 

 

Tony looked away so as not to watch Peter's eyes narrow with hurt. His voice when it came, however, was coloured with anger. "You think any of that matters to me? I'm from twenty-first century Queens, Mr. Stark. Most of the kids I grew up with don't know their dads, a lot of them don't even know their real moms. Who they're raised by, who they call dad, who they love, usually has no connection to them whatsoever. Maybe in your day people gave a shit who was blood and who wasn't, but now, people could care less." His nostrils were flared and he was staring at Tony who had finally turned back to look at him. "So, I'm sorry Mr. Stark. But even if Iron Man kicks my ass, I'm not going anywhere." 

 

They were both silent for a long time and Peter began to worry that he had said too much. 

 

Tony sighed. "You don't know what you're saying, kid. You're an Avenger now, you're only fifteen, you're stronger than-" 

 

Peter waved an awkward hand in the air. "Actually, I'm sixteen now, but carry on." 

 

Tony narrowed his eyes at the interruption but continued, "You're stronger than any of us were at your age, except maybe Thor but he doesn't count. My point is you're not just an Avenger, one day I think you're going to be the greatest Avenger there ever was... Kid, you're everything. And if you stay here, you're nothing." 

 

A beat passed, then, "So are you." 

 

"I'm old, Pete. It doesn't matter for me anymore." 

 

Peter sighed. "I mean, yeah that sucks because I love being an Avenger but you know, it's just kind of like a super-cool job –So if you stay here, you're ruining my career, just so you know- but that's all it is. Yeah, okay, it's who I am too but not..." He trailed off and then shrugged. "I told you. Family." 

 

Tony was very still and silent. Peter didn't move, he wasn't exactly sure what spell Tony was under but he didn’t want to break it. The man wasn’t looking at him, dark eyes hidden beneath the hair that had grown shaggy and unruly in the time since Peter had last seen him. 

 

After an age, Tony lifted his glass to empty the contents into his mouth, then grimaced at the taste. "So, what now, kiddo?" 

 

Peter's mouth twitched and he looked sheepish. "I'm kinda hoping you have somewhere to stay because I only bought a one-way fare and the ticket office isn't open until the morning." 

 

Tony blinked, and laughed. And Peter laughed with him, realising it was the first time he had laughed since coming back. It felt good. Tony wiped his eyes and stood up. "Come on, kid. Believe it or not I do actually have a place here, I'm not just sleeping on the streets." 

 

Peter went to his side immediately, whether it was to support the surprisingly-sober Mr. Stark or just because he wanted the reassurance that he was real and okay, Peter wasn’t sure, but when Tony wrapped an arm around his shoulders, he realised that the reassurance wasn't one-sided. 

 

"So..." Peter asked nervously, "Are we going home or...?" 

 

Tony breathed in heavily through his nose. "I don't know." 

 

"Okay... Well, then, I'm going to need to learn how to speak Slovenian."

**Author's Note:**

> No one dies in this fic but there is prior character death of Pepper, Happy and Rhodey (I'm sorry!).  
> I mean is Rhodey actually dead though...?
> 
>  
> 
> I hope you guys liked it! Come talk to me on tumblr.


End file.
